Bowery Boogie: The LES is not the Lower Eastpacking District

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With an average of 80,000 unique visitors per month, Bowery Boogie is
the largest site covering Lower East Side news and the lifestyles of its residents. The content is a combination of
hard-hitting news coverage and lifestyle stories all with a dash of wit.

The blog--voted Best Neighborhood Blog in the 2011 Village Voice Web Awards--was founded by two childhood friends--Elie Z. Perler
and Dave Gustav--in the summer of 2008. They had always been involved with
creative projects that tend to be webcentric. Perler started blogging about
things he saw during neighborhood walkabouts and Gustav pitched in, with a
constantly evolving layout and technical infrastructure.

It has been a labor of love for both, and they
are constantly testing new ideas, seeing what their audience responds to the
most and finding ways to combine the local neighborhood news with their other passions associated with the neighborhood like
music, street art, and pop culture. Bowery Boogie was also instrumental in mobilizing volunteers during and
post-Sandy and they donated their November
advertising inventory to local businesses struggling due to the storm.

Perler answered a few questions from BrickUnderground about the duo's home turf:

1. What would you
tell someone moving in?

Respect the neighborhood and its surroundings. People were
here before you, and will be here after you leave. Take a trip to the Tenement Museum and learn some background
history. Read Bowery Boogie.

If you haven't yet found a place, start the search before
heading to brokers. Spend the time walking the streets of the neighborhood,
talk to store owners, and ask around. Call the "For Rent" signs
hanging on so many buildings. Lots of these units aren't published on
Craigslist or in broker databases.

2. Where are the best
deals in the neighborhood in terms of real estate? What about in terms of
dining/entertainment?

Rule of thumb is the further south you go, the better chance
of finding deals. Chinatown and its immediate LES borders have their fair share
but you gotta dig deep and be prepared to talk shop.

For nightlife we enjoy activities that don’t involve big
bouncers, bigger drink costs, and the biggest stretch limos filled with
screaming B&T crowds. Some of that entertainment includes underground performances and shows like Seth Herzog’s “Sweet” and the “Speakeasy Dollhouse.”

3. What’s your
favorite location within the neighborhood to live?

Favorite location would have to be within the vicinity of Seward Park, where it
still has that OG LES feel. Also, trees are a rarity on the Lower East Side, so
convenient access to semi-public park space is a great amenity.

4. Do you have a
dream building?

Yes, 190
Bowery. Artist Jay Maisel has the
coolest building in the neighborhood, and we'd love to live or work there. Just
give us a room or two...

5. Any buildings that
feel out of place with the feel of the neighborhood?

For a neighborhood that has a history rooted in low-rise
tenement dwellings, it’s always -- shall we say mildly unpleasant? -- to see glass
structures looming over the historic architecture.

6. Any real estate
related controversy brewing or currently happening in your neighborhood?

It’s amazing how stories that seem innocuous on the surface
have ended up being some of the most controversial. Two recent ones of
note include the closure of Pathmark on
Cherry Street, and the bait-and-switch tactics of EMM Group in opening their 199 Bowery mega-club.

As is stands, the Pathmark at 227 Cherry has been serving
the community of Two Bridges for thirty years. That's all ending come 2013, and
many residents are mourning the loss of a budget supermarket within walking
distance. People are also fearful that replacing Pathmark with an upscale
grocery market or another towering development will hurt the neighborhood.

EMM appeared before Community Board 3 to receive approval
for one nightlife concept, and since then has opened a venue with multiple
concepts and three liquor licenses, when only two were applied for at the
get-go.

These stories may not get ink in larger publications, but
they are seriously affecting the daily lives of neighborhood residents.

7. How has the
neighborhood changed in the past 5 years? How do you think it’ll change in the
next 5?

Just looking back on the stories we’ve published over the
last 4.5 years, it’s mind-blowing how much turnover there has been. The influx
of hotels and large nightclubs is also significant.

Sadly, the result is a loss
of that Lower East Side character that attracts all these moneyed investors
here in the first place. Buildings are being torn down in favor of hotels, and
big nightlife is taking over. Both industries cater to transients, making it
harder to preserve a sense of identity beyond the “Lower Eastpacking” moniker
that gives us chest pains to even contemplate.

Hopefully in the next five years we will see an increase in
resident groups who challenge a system that has allowed club owners to create
venues at the expense of the community.

8. What do you think
your “sister” neighborhood might be?

Much of the creative element and the hipster hangers-on
decamped for Brooklyn long ago. Some might say any of the first dozen stops
along the L line, from Williamsburg to Bushwick.

9. Which neighborhood
feels like the opposite of your neighborhood?

Ordinarily we would say the Meatpacking District, but these
days the Lower East Side is mimicking this same oversaturated club vibe. So, to
answer your question, Murray Hill.

10. Would you stay in
this neighborhood forever if you could?

Yes. Until the day comes when we stop being inquisitive
creatives on the quest for inspiration and unique experiences, we can’t imagine
being anywhere else.

11. What is one of
the biggest misconceptions about the neighborhood?

One of the biggest misconceptions is that the Lower East
Side is only here for nightlife. There's plenty of action happening here day
and night that doesn’t revolve around clubs.

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